[MA] 112. What is Your Take (Patreon)

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[A/N: 3/5 chapters from last week. The next one should come out either later today or tomorrow.

Sorry for the delay, yesterday (April 17th) was my birthday and my wife had unexpected plans.]

The Major gave Shen a polite smile. "I was ordered to only mention the situation in China to you, then invite you to talk to the US leadership." He made a pause. "We live in the information era. Information is usually easy to come by, but not all of it. A lot of it is not trustworthy either. Some information is both classified and valuable, and the US is very good at collecting it."

Shen suppressed a frown not to show any emotion the soldier could exploit. "So you baited me."

"I also provided you with a lot of information for free. About half of it is classified, but we were showing goodwill."

This time, Shen suppressed a shake of his head. It might be a show of goodwill, but it also fulfilled the critical function of showcasing the US information-gathering ability to make the bait harder to resist.

"Is that how you're aware of my ignorance of the Nazis?" Shen asked. He had expected something like that.

Former ignorance, at least; the system translation function had given him the gist of it. What a bunch of deplorable cruel lunatics, to say the least.

The Major nodded. "The Pioneer Tutorial ended ten hours ago. That was enough time to collect, exchange, and sort information. You told people in the last stage that you slept for thousands of years because of an incurable disease, which was only healed when the Alliance arrived. That would mean not knowing about the Nazis or the world at large."

Shen nodded slowly, thinking about the invitation to talk. It could be a trap, but the Major had shown nothing but goodwill toward Shen. Though the foot soldiers had been aggressive, Shen reckoned the Feng Clan's cultivators would also not take kindly to being disobeyed in their territory.

The bait was good. Too good; everything was too perfect. War told him something might be amiss, and he thought about it harder.

Then it dawned on him. According to the Major, they took potential spies in custody while pretending not to think they might be spies. The place the sorting happened would be prepared to deal with any sort of power the Guardian system might throw at them.

They might want Shen to talk to their leaders, but considering his personal power, it wouldn't be safe for them to do it where he could reach them. So they would bring him to the spy-sorting location. A place Shen would rather not go to, especially now that they knew his limits.

Shen wondered how he could find out the truth even if he were being lied to.

The best way he could think of was asking a provocative question and watching the man's reaction. Shen wasn't great at interpersonal relationships, but he had cultivator training in posture and face reading; after all, if people could exploit the emotions you showed, you should also know how to detect and exploit theirs. His training was only basic, and he hadn't been too good at it, but it should help.

He had extra advantages compared to back then. For one, he was D-rank. This close to the Major, he could see the man's pores in his skin as if through a magnifying lens. Each micro-drop of sweat and hair cuticle was visible to him. Shen had also mastered the Concept of War. It gave him a lot of knowledge about troop analysis and the ability to connect with everyone around him. Finally, his learning ability let him make connections faster.

"How long until the better-equipped soldiers arrive?" he asked while connecting himself to the Major through the Concept of War, then watched the man's reaction.

The connection didn't use any qi. The Concept of War was present in any conflict, just as the Concept of Sharpness was present in any blade. The Concept itself connected Shen to the relevant war pieces nearby. If Shen merely thought a conflict might arise, it would become a potential conflict, and thus let him link himself with those nearby. However, the range and how many people or things he could connect with decreased significantly unless actual War happened and involved spearmen—the Concept came from the Laws of Spear.

Yet, despite its current limitations, the link was still handy because War was also information war, tactics, strategy, and battle awareness. It helped Shen assess the location of those he connected with, calculate their morale, analyze their feelings, and assume their immediate and overall goals much faster than without the link.

The shift of the Major's posture was almost imperceptible, just as was the very subtle and rapid widening of his eyes. He also moved his body slightly back as if struck. His heart rate increased, and his brows furrowed. He was unhappy at Shen's supposition. Yet, he hid everything the best he could. He then showed discomfort before looking resolutely at Shen.

Though the Concept gave Shen some knowledge about troop analysis, it didn't give him some mystical omniscience about those he connected with. He could only use his own knowledge to make the analyses. So, if he ever dealt with an alien with the expressions and reactions of a rock, he wouldn't be able to ascertain what their gestures meant.

Fortunately, the Major was as human as Shen and the cultivators he had been taught how to read.

Location: twelve feet ahead. Calculated morale: confident. Likely feelings: expectant, slightly offended, determined. Assumed immediate goal: gain Shen's trust, something else Shen couldn't tell. Assumed overall goals: probably start a long-lasting relationship of mutual benefit with Shen; possibly capture Shen.

"I understand where you're coming from, Mister Feng Shen," the Major said after some time. "Some people will look at you as a valuable resource, and they would either try to control you or destroy you. I admit some voices were suggesting the US do just that, but two arguments won against it. First, we got negative experience dealing with strong, upset Guardians." He motioned to the ruined hotel. "Second, if you died, the next Rising Star might appear on an enemy country, beyond our reach, or already having irreconcilable hatred against us. It wouldn't be worth it to risk either upsetting you or the consequences of killing you. That's why there is no one coming to attempt to subdue you."

Shen thought about those words. They sounded true, but he was simply too in the dark. Moreover, he was still suspicious about the spy thing.

"What is the Crusade?" Shen asked next, still watching the Major's reactions.

This time, the Major was visibly uncomfortable. Shen took it to mean the man would rather have hidden it. Cox kept his silence for a while. Then he sighed as if he had made an inevitable decision he would rather not have made, patted his pockets, took a small package from one of them, took a white cylinder from inside, put it in his mouth, and lit it with a mana trick.

"Fire spells are conveniently easy to cast." He offered the package to Shen. "Want some?"

"What is that?" Shen asked as the man seemed to pull from the cylinder with his mouth, then released a smelling smoke.

"Cigarettes. Terrible for the health, and I'm told nicotine can't even affect you once you reach E- resistance. Lucky me, I didn't invest in that stat."

Seeing Shen wouldn't get a cigarette, he put the package back in his pocket and rested his back on the sofa, much more relaxed as before. Shen interpreted it as the man letting go of previous defenses and fears.

"The Crusade, huh?" the Major said at least. "The Pioneer Tutorial took one year total." His voice was much more relaxed than before. He sounded like a man who had realized he would die and didn't care about consequences anymore. "Almost one hundred thousand Americans died in the Guardian War that took about six months. Such tragedy left terrible scars."

Shen didn't think he had stayed in the tutorial for that long. Either the time perception dilation was more significant than he thought, or the system had kept him unconscious for some of that time.

"While our leaders decided what to do about the change in the social order, the common populace decided to take things into their own hands. The Crusade for Humankind was a paramilitary group of G-ranks hunting for Guardians. They spread like wildfire, many people joining out of rightful wrath for losing people in the war.

"The civilian part of the Crusade is all but crushed nowadays, but some of it remains in the military, heavily regulated. After many disciplinary actions, the Crusade became a group of individuals who swore to capture as many dissident Guardians as possible to go through due process. Some of them are Guardians themselves. They are trained for domestic action against US citizens, and most are very good at it. Unjustified fire is sporadic and severely dealt with. The populace mostly approves of it, as outrageous as it would be to send the military against US citizens in the past."

He looked at the hotel's door. "Captain Willow lost his wife and daughter in a Guardian domestic terrorist attack. You can imagine how I truly appreciate his trigger discipline. He didn't let his rage push him to commit unlawful actions, but Crusaders are required to identify themselves and be overseen by a non-Crusader Guardian. That's my ungrateful job."

Cox inhaled a lot of smoke then blew it. "This is a judicial and operational nightmare in a time of crisis. There are too many trained Crusaders for us to simply discharge them. It's better for everyone and safer for Guardians to keep the Crusaders in the chain of command.

"I was ordered not to do anything that might scare or anger you. I was also ordered to keep you in the dark about some topics to prevent you from fearing or hating the US for its past actions. But look at us now, talking like old pals." He chuckled humorlessly.

"Captain Willow was right. Shooting you was illegal. It was also against and will land me in a world of trouble, just as this conversation will probably end up with me behind bars, but I'm part of the people who believe a new world order is inevitable. I would not have invited you to the meeting with the General of the Army and the President if I wasn't sure you could protect yourself or escape if needed.

"I lied to the good Captain. I wasn't getting briefed on you while they searched for survivors. I had already read all reports about your actions in the tutorial hours ago. People don't seem to be scared enough about the possibility of a terrible human being becoming the next Rising Star if you die. I didn't get to the final boss, but I got to the eighth stage. I saw plenty of powerful assholes with enough potential for the system to pick them.

"I would rather we keep you.

"By all reports, you talk a lot about honor, you taught people about Laws, Concepts, and Paths, and you trained them. Then you used your power to create a somewhat fair system in the final fight and hunt traitors down. You're not perfect, you're no saint, and maybe everything you did was part of some ploy. At least that ploy set a precedence against treachery. That is enough for me."

He pulled more smoke before continuing. "You asked me what the Crusade is, Mister Feng Shen. The Crusade started as an aberration, an evidence of everything wrong with this world. Its current form proves that discipline, patience, and the right minds in power can turn a terrible situation around—and that the US can adapt to deal with whatever the fuck the Alliance throws at us."

Cox nodded toward the boy unconscious beside Shen. "The Sorcerer King must be imprisoned or killed because he and his man committed terrible crimes. He's not the only one around; many non-Guardian supremacists—they call themselves purists—also exist under the umbrella of the 'Crusade.' They are criminals too.

"Groups of both kinds appear because of the others in a loop of hatred that would've destroyed the country if we hadn't lucked out; we have the right people in power right now. Many countries don't have this privilege. Many are just gone, devolved into anarchy and tyranny."

Shen digested the speech. The Major was obviously worried about Shen gaining a negative opinion of the US. The words had been sincere as far as Shen could tell, and they explained some of Shen's discomfort. The man was being too forthcoming with information; that's what he had found suspicious. He could tell now.

"So, I beg you to talk to the US leaders and at least listen to what they have to say. The President is a politician, but she has acted surprisingly smart in this crisis. The General of the Army couldn't have gotten to his post without a measure of politics too, but all reports tell me he's a true American soldier who believes in freedom and democracy. They are good people. Hear what they have to say."

Shen didn't hide his frown this time. The man was ordered to bring Shen, so everything might be a ploy. Shen's readings told him the man was sincere, but the Major might just be a great actor. Shen was still worried about coming to a heavily fortified place, but he reckoned he might make some demands.

So, in the end, Shen nodded. "I will come with three conditions. First, I'll listen to what my prisoner has to say first." He nodded to the still unconscious boy. "Second, I want a smartphone with an internet connection and someone to teach me how to use it. Third, I won't go anywhere unless I feel safe."

"I accept the first two," the Major said excitedly and stood up. "I'll get the smartphone and talk to my superiors about the third condition." He walked out of the building.

Shen turned to his prisoner at once. "I noticed your breathing and heart rate quickened for a while." The Snake's Rattling didn't make mortals unconscious forever, and the E-rank woke up much faster. "What is your take on everything the Major told me?"

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